Rick and Suzanna Wamsley were murdered on December 11, 2003 in their home in
Mansfield, Texas, as part of a conspiracy involving their son Andrew and two others.
Crime
On the evening of December 11, 2003, Rick and Suzanna Wamsley, an upper-class
Mansfield, Texas couple, were shot and stabbed to death in their home by Andrew Wamsley's friend Susana Toledano.
The murders were part of a scheme orchestrated by Andrew Wamsley, his girlfriend Chelsea Richardson, and their friend Toledano to collect the Wamsleys' $1.65 million estate.
The three conspirators also wanted to kill Andrew's older sister Sarah, but she was not home on the night of the murders.
Conspirators
Andrew Wamsley
Andrew Wamsley (born July 7, 1984) was the second child born to Rick and Suzanna Wamsley. He began dating Chelsea Richardson in January 2003.
Andrew's parents reportedly disapproved of their son's relationship with Chelsea.
Chelsea Richardson
Chelsea Lea Richardson (born March 26, 1984) grew up in a working-class neighborhood of
Tarrant County, Texas in contrast to her boyfriend Andrew Wamsley. She and Andrew started conspiring to kill Andrew's parents in October 2003. She was also roommates with Susana Toledano at the time of the murder.
Susana Toledano
Susana Alejandra Toledano (born September 28, 1984) was Chelsea Richardson's roommate. Susana was reportedly forced by her co-defendants to shoot and stab Rick and Suzanna Wamsley on the night of December 11, 2003. She had also been made to shoot at the gas tank of the Wamsleys' Jeep Laredo during a failed murder attempt that occurred on November 9, 2003.
Hilario Cardenas
Hilario Cardenas was an
IHOP restaurant manager in
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
who conspired with the three other co-defendants on how to murder the Wamsleys.
He provided the gun that was used in the murders.
Convictions
In order to avoid the death penalty Susana Toledano pleaded guilty to murder in January 2005.
On May 26, 2006, she was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
As part of her plea deal she testified against Chelsea and Andrew at their subsequent trials. Susana will be eligible for parole in 2034.
Chelsea Richardson's trial began in May 2005. Chelsea's fellow prison inmates testified at her trial that she had admitted her role in the murders.
Susana Toledano also testified that Chelsea told her to kill the Wamsleys so they could share in the family's estate.
After three hours of deliberation Chelsea was convicted of
capital murder
Capital murder was a statutory offence of aggravated murder in Great Britain, and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, which was later adopted as a legal provision to define certain forms of aggravated murder in the United States. In som ...
. The jury deliberated for just over two hours before unanimously sentencing Chelsea to
lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...
. The jury cited the crime's brutal and premeditated nature, and the fact that she was considered a "danger to society."
She became the first female sentenced to death in
Tarrant County, Texas, later followed by
Lisa Coleman. On December 13, 2011, Chelsea's sentence was commuted to life in prison.
Andrew Wamsley was convicted of capital murder on March 5, 2006.
Jurors did not view Andrew as a future danger to society and sentenced him to life in prison. His conviction and
life sentence were affirmed by the Second District of
Texas Courts of Appeals on March 13, 2008. Andrew is serving his sentence at the
John B. Connally Unit
The John B. Connally Unit is a maximum-security prison for males located in unincorporated Karnes County, Texas, United States. It is located on Farm to Market Road 632, just east of U.S. Highway 181 south of the city of Kenedy,[Kenedy, Texas
Kenedy is a city in Karnes County, Texas, Karnes County, Texas, United States, named for Mifflin Kenedy, who bought and wanted to develop a new town that would carry his name. The population was 3,473 at the 2020 census, up from 3,296 at the 2010 ...]
. Barring a successful appeal, Andrew will be eligible for parole in 2044.
Hilario Cardenas pleaded guilty to
conspiracy to murder. On May 26 2006 he received a 50-year sentence with parole eligibility in 2014.
Cardenas was denied parole in June 2016 and again in June 2017.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wamsley, Rick and Suzanna
2003 murders in the United States
Parricides
Mansfield, Texas
Murder in Texas